Of Course
by JJJPK
Summary: Steve and Natasha are on a dangerous mission in the African desert. Things go wrong and Steve is wounded. With no way to communicate with S.H.I.E.L.D., can they survive?
Author note: Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction so be nice, kay? I'm not really sure this deserved to be rated "T," but I went with that to be safe :). I wrote this story about a year ago, and I didn't have anything new, so I thought I'd put it up, cause I couldn't wait to get SOMETHING up! I don't do tumblr but I would love to take prompts, (for Stevetasha) so just leave 'em in the comments or PM me. Oh, and reviews will make me very, very happy!

Na Razie, enjoy!

Natasha staggered out of the bar on Steve's arm, drunk. She had tried to tell him that she wasn't nervous for their mission tomorrow, but he knew she was. She had drunk enough Russian Vodka to fill the grand canyon. She obviously couldn't walk home, the same way she'd walked there after work, so he guided her to his car.

"Where you taking me Cap?" She slurred.

"To bed," Steve couldn't keep a chuckle out of his voice.

"I wanna go home." She whined. But Steve's apartment was closer and he had something different in mind.

"You're staying at my apartment." They got there a few minutes later. She opened the door and staggered a few steps but ended up leaning against the car and Steve picked her up and carried her inside. She wormed in his arms and whined,

"I wanna go home Stevie!" When he got to the door he used her feet to push it open and carried her to his bed. He took her shoes off and quietly closed the door. He laid down on the couch in the living room. It was very uncomfortable but he if there had to be another person in his bed he wouldn't have it be anyone but Natasha.

Twelve hours later.

Natasha felt her body tense. She didn't know why she was so nervous about this mission they just had to free some captives being held by some bandits in Africa. Their helicopter was hovering over the drop spot and zero hour was almost upon them. Suddenly she realized it was because this mission was with _him_ it was the first they had done together in a while and well...she didn't want to let him down.

"Ready?" Steve asked her smiling. She swallowed nerves down her dry throat and answered,

"Yeah." He handed her her parachute. The hatch in the helicopter opened. He took the jump and she did a few seconds after him. The cold wind felt like fear personified. Her body jerked as the parachute opened and then she felt herself drifting down at a more controlled pace. Her feet hit the ground and she took a few stutter steps, and shed the parachute. Steve was a few steps ahead of her. He was stupidly staring at her for some reason. She wanted to feel annoyed but somehow she couldn't, she was paralyzed by fear and...and something else. Gosh Steve you couldn't be more beautiful. Why was she shaking?

"Coming?" He asked.

"Yup." She thanked the darkness which hid how hard she was shaking from him. They had to walk about a mile to get to the bandit's camp but they could already see the lights. "How many hostages?" She asked in a far too hollow sounding voice.

"Two. You weren't listening to the debriefing were you Nat? Why so nervous?" There were times he simply could not comprehend her and this was one. Why _was_ she so nervous? This mission was going to be routine from what he could tell.

"You're right about that fact that I wasn't listening but who said I was nervous?" She whispered back.

"Because you're voice is shaking and you never drink that much before a mission."

"Just shut up and run psychologist." And they did. Soon they were close to the outskirts of the camp.

"Alright, you head to the right, I'll go left."

"Are we just gonna punch our way in?"

"That's what we usually do isn't it?"

"Steve, there are twenty-two of them!"

"Yeah and there's two of us that leaves you eleven and me eleven. Gosh Nat what is _wrong_ with you?"

"N-nothing," she sulked.

"Okay." He looked at her strangely as she crept to the edge of the right side of the camp. One side of it faced a sheer cliff. She used that to camouflage herself in the shadows. Her heart beat so loudly she thought the bandits would hear it for sure. Ten seconds went by, fifteen, sixteen... Steve's shield flew through the camp and hit the guard instantly in the chest. He fell to the ground but not before he could let out a loud cry alerting the rest of the camp. The rest of the men were alert and wielding machetes. Natasha sprang into the camp and threw her knife. It hit the first man in the neck and he dropped without a sound. She unloaded her automatic pistol on the next three and pulled the k bar she kept strapped to her leg off. She saw Steve mowing them down, shield in hand. She knew her next part of the mission was to find the hostages, however that was going to be easier said than done. She sprinted toward the back of the camp where she saw the two college aged girls, a bandit holding a knife to their throats. He saw her coming and smiled at her with his extremely white teeth. She lunged at him but he saw it coming. Before she knew it his knife was in her bicep and he was smiling at her preparing to kill her, gloating. She smiled back at him and said,

"Nice knowing you!" before she plunged her knife into his chest. But now there were two more guards on the prisoners. She bit her lip but rushed up to one and pinned him to the cliff, before expertly kicking his legs out from under him. She saw the other one fall after Steve's shield hit his head.

"Take the hostages Tash, I'll handle the rest." Natasha motioned for the girls to follow her. They ran about a quarter mile until the girls got into a jeep waiting to take them to the airport. As it sped away kicking up dust Natasha wished it was her and Steve instead of the girls in it. She collapsed onto the dust and passed out on the plain.

Steve couldn't believe it. **More bandits.** He had seen one running away out of the corner of his eye. Now that he thought he had gotten them all the man had come back with ten more of his friends. And where the h*ll was Natasha? He sprinted off in the direction he had seen her go last and almost tripped over her body. Great. No help there.

Natasha woke up. Where was she? Why did she feel like she couldn't move? Why was the back of her throat so dusty? She coughed. Her arm was bandaged she noticed. She groped next to her a little in the dark. That's when she felt a body next to her. Steve.

"Steve?" she nudged his arm. He didn't respond. This was bad. "Steve are you with me?" She felt something sticky on his chest. Oh gosh Steve no.

"Steve are you with me?" She felt panic growing inside. "Steve!?" She shook his shoulders. He wasn't in his helmet anymore, but his arm was still wrapped around his shield. The sun was starting to creep into the east, where she saw the sky getting grayer. She felt to see if her intercom was still in her ear but it wasn't. Neither was Steve's. D*mn this looked bad. She pressed her hand to his neck and a rush of relief swept over her as she felt a week pulse. Why the h*ll had idiot Steve taken the time to bandage _her_ arm when he was about to die!? "Steve, come back!" she shook him harder and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when she heard him groan. It was getting more light by the second and she winced at what she could see of the large wound on his chest and side. She put her fingers on his rib cage and as she had suspected, at least three broken ribs. Steve moaned more.

"I'm sorry baby," she whispered. Steve squeezed his eyes shut tight, pain shooting through him like her fingers had been on fire, lighting up the spot they touched. His blonde hair was matted with sweat and dust and blood from an abrasion on his hairline. There was a bruise on his temple, his face was so white. He looked awful Natasha thought. She felt tears sting her eyes. It hurt to see someone like Steve like this. Correction it hurt to see Steve himself like this. He opened his eyes in surprise when a tear fell on his cheek.

"Tash, don't..." he coughed. Blood flecked his lips. Probably a punctured lung she thought.

"I've got some bad news buddy, we don't have any way to get in touch with S.H.I.E.L.D." He took a deep breath and just nodded, closing his eyes.

"Natasha...I just wanted you to know if...if I don't make it... " He labored to get the words out, every breath he took burning his side like a hot brand. Looking into her green eyes, into her pale face framed by the red hair was intoxicating. She was looking at him so expectantly. "I love you..." he breathed so softly she bent closer to catch the words. He felt more tears on his face. Mascara dripped down her cheeks and she cupped his face in her hands. He felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart skip a beat as she put her lips on his, kissing him softly.

"I love you too Rogers." He closed his eyes and felt like he could die a happy man now, but death didn't seem to be in the cards as they heard the sound of a helicopter above them. Natasha waved and the S.H.I.E.L.D. copter hovered and then landed. The wind the blades made was the best thing she had felt in a long time. The paramedics strapped Steve to a stretcher and she ran up the ramp behind them.

Five hours later. Natasha sat beside Steve's bed patiently waiting for him to wake up. They had taken him to surgery as soon as the copter had landed to re position his rib cage. He didn't look much like Steve with all the machines and monitors he was hooked up to. She was so mesmerized watching his chest rise and fall that she didn't see him open his eyes and smile at her.

"Hey you," he said softly.

"Hey" she smiled. They sat in silence a few minutes and she gathered her courage, swallowed and felt herself blush furiously as she asked,

"Did you really mean what you said back there? In the desert I mean?"

"Come here." And then she felt herself in his warm embrace and he whispered into her hair,

"Of course."


End file.
